Comcast to test DVRs that use cable lines

[james99]

NEW YORK — Comcast will shake up the digital video recorder business Monday by unveiling a system to go on field trial in Philadelphia midyear that records TV shows and uses cable lines to distribute them through the home.

Interesing article.

[WoRkZ]

Interesting... Then again, it might also be available only in the US, like TiVO and Replay TV. I hope Samsung will instead pity us and deploy it's service up here.

Coulnd't all those boxes work up here just by getting their guide info from the net anyway? They'd only have to build guide data for local content. I guess it could even tune to digital channels, as it doesn't make any difference what it's tuning to when the time comes to record. Wouldn't that be a nice way to bypass cable operators or satellite providers and get a nice universal PVR box?

I love what samsung as been making these last 2 to 3 years... I'm inclined to think that their PVR is probably much better than my SA8000 right out of the box.

And don't you guys think that the future of PVRs is the same as other A/V equipment... It must eventually come down to universal compatibility.

Just thinking out loud here... :wink:

It also could give Comcast leverage in its negotiations with programmers to let the cable company offer their shows on its video-on-demand system.

That's just what I said last week about where the real strenght of VOD lies...

[WoRkZ]

Now I'm very comfused...


http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/aboutu...id=01_09_2003E


Doesn't this press release say just the contrary of the article posted above?!?

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

Originally Posted by James99

NEW YORK — Comcast will shake up the digital video recorder business Monday by unveiling a system to go on field trial in Philadelphia midyear that records TV shows and uses cable lines to distribute them through the home.

This is not much of a stretch when you think about it. Hundreds of digital channels are sent over many cable systems. All you need is to configure the cable modems in the STBs and the PVR with the software to provide the extra functionality.

I read a press release about a 3 tuner HD PVR that may or may not make it to market. That would be a great PVR server. You could also use 1 gigabit ethernet to distribute HD or 100 megabit ethernet for SD. All cable companies know is cable so they always use that as a solution.

[travisc]

Most homes are cabled with coaxial, not Cat5. So why would they seek to go after a solution for the minority of homes?

And you can't just create a DVR and have it tune to digital channels without the consent of the cable company. There are encryption and conditional access issues involved.

www.digeo.com - look at their Moxi product. Motorola is producing this thing, and it's apparently not that far away.

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

Some homes here are being prewired with RG6 and Cat 5. You can see cable companies bias in their attitude toward twisted pair cable in Rogers' refusal to supply STBs with an integrated cable modem. They could just as easily install Cat 5 as RG6 but they refuse. The cost is just passed on to the customer through higher equipment rentals for discrete cable modems. Bell takes the same attitude toward RG6 cable. They want to make everything work on twisted pair. Communications companies should use the right tool for the job, not force the solution into their mind set. I predict this new PVR will never make it to market in Canada except as toys for people with connections to cable companies' upper management.

[travisc]

Yes, some homes are indeed being pre-wired with Cat5. But the vast majority are not. And since there's no set-top box yet that'll transport video throughout the house via Ethernet, and no televisions that'll receive it, what's the big deal here? Even if Rogers provided a set-top box with a cable modem, so what? That's still not going to give you video over Ethernet.

[57]

SA make a "4000" series STB with internal cable modem. Rogers has said they will not handle it in one of their "on-line" shows.